Classic Comic Compendium: HELLBOY - THE CROOKED MAN

Hellboy is considered one of my favorite comics ever.

I’ll go one additional and say that the Hellboy universe can be one of many best franchises ever. Mike Mignola created one thing really particular practically 30 years in the past. Hellboy blends horror, the occult, unusual heroes, tall tales, myths, pulp sensibilities, humour, and extra. There’s a straightforward, laid again everyman high quality to Hellboy himself and an engrossing world that appears rife for limitless exploration in quite a few spin-offs and codecs. From the comics to the novels, the animated to stay motion motion pictures, the toys to the tabletop roleplaying sport, it’s all largely good or higher.

In the realm of stay motion, Hellboy has already seen two iterations. The first constructed off of Seed of Destruction after which went off in fantastical instructions with the second film. The second iteration used supply materials from the Arthurian trilogy interval with Darkness Calls. While I liked the primary model and favored the second, just lately there was introduced a brand new kick on the can. This third iteration is about to make use of one of many greats from the comics collection as its inspiration, Hellboy: The Crooked Man, by Mike Mignola, Richard Corben, Dave Stewart, and Clem Robins.

Similar to a tv present like The X-Files, there have usually been two tracks of Hellboy tales. There are people who primarily happen within the current, including to the continued saga of the characters. And people who usually happen at numerous instances up to now, usually as standalone tales. The Crooked Man matches within the latter format. It makes for a state of affairs the place it’s very straightforward to simply decide up this story and go. You don’t really want to know anything to dive in.

Mike Mignola takes influences from a number of the better of horror and pulp brief story writers, like Ambrose Bierce, Sheridan Le Fanu, HP Lovecraft, Arthur Machen, and Robert Chambers. Here he delves into the territory of Manly Wade Wellman and backwoods Americana terror. Set in 1958 and the Appalachian Mountains, Hellboy finds himself in a state of affairs the place witches abound. The titular Crooked Man is a miser has taken on a demonic bent amassing souls. And Hellboy’s set to assist an area bury his father and cleanse the evil. It’s sort of free-flowing in the way it performs out, very properly mixing in some native myths and the sort of evil that’s virtually at all times current by way of prosperous wealth.

Richard Corben’s art work is beautiful. There’s an ineffable high quality to it that makes it really feel alive. Really. The method that Corben approaches shading and texture provides all the things a sort of rounded really feel by way of a mix of shapes, stippling, and strong shadows that you just don’t see usually in comics. It helps give all of his characters and otherworldly really feel and actually makes the looks of the Crooked Man himself creepy.

Dave Stewart’s colors fantastically enrich Corben’s linework. There’s virtually a sickly pallor to it, with Stewart utilizing hues of blue and inexperienced for a lot of the backgrounds that really feel awash with gray. It helps make the crimson of Hellboy stand out extra, true, however it additionally makes the world really feel tainted.

There’s additionally simply one thing concerning the lettering from Clem Robins in Hellboy that’s unmistakable. The phrase balloons and textual content really feel just a bit bit bigger than many different comics. The result’s one thing that I’d say virtually feels timeless for journey or horror tales.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man from Mignola, Corben, Stewart, and Robins is a tasty little bit of backwoods horror. One that may simply be picked up by itself. It’s one of many tales that exemplifies the flexibility of Hellboy and his enduring legacy. I’m very a lot trying ahead to seeing how this story is tailored for the large display.

Classic Comic Compendium: Hellboy – The Crooked Man

Hellboy – The Crooked Man
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Richard Corben
Colourist: Dave Stewart
Letterer: Clem Robins
Publisher: Dark Horse
Release Date: July – September 2008
Available collected in Hellboy – Volume 10: The Crooked Man & Others and Hellboy Library Edition – Volume 4: The Crooked Man & The Troll Witch